What Are Friends For
by Cartoon Cow
Summary: One-shot. What would have happened if Oliver hadn't spent a month away from Starling after his duel with Ra's. Just a quick stubbornness thought about Oliver and the loyalty of Diggle.


**Hey guys! It has literally been FOREVER since I updated anything. I am in college now as a Music Education Major and I have been extremely busy. This is my first time posting anything to the Arrow genre so I'll just make it short and sweet. This doesn't exactly follow cannon but it isn't far from it.**

 **What are Friends For?**

Oliver crossed the floor of his lab slowly, blood dripping down his fingers from a newly attained shoulder wound.

"I need an address Felicity, I cannot let Brick get away a second time." He growled through the pain.

Felicity met him halfway, "What? I can't let you go back out there! Not after what just happened! We need to help patch you up first at least!"

"You want to help me? Find Brick!"

Felicity stood in shock for a second just staring at Oliver, her newfound relief of his return dwindling at his abrasiveness.

"And what friends would we be if we let you leave now?" Diggle demanded as he came around the computer table.

"Diggle I am not arguing with you right now. We are wasting time. Every minute lost now is another life we are losing to him."

"I understand that Oliver, but is sending you out on a suicide mission going to solve that problem? It's just going to get you killed." Dig pointed to Oliver's shoulder wound, "You wouldn't have got that if it hadn't been for your wound from Ra's."

Oliver readjusted his stance, "You guy's don't want to help? Fine, I'll find out where he is by myself."

Oliver started to walk past Diggle, Diggle catching him by the arm and shoving him back a couple of steps.

"What are you doing?" Oliver demanded.

"If you can't get past me you won't last two seconds against Brick." Diggle reprimanded.

Oliver swung at Diggle, Diggle dodging and hitting Oliver close to his wound inflicted by Ra's, then delivered a swift kick behind Oliver's knee, causing Oliver to collapse against a table nearby. Oliver yelled out in pain, unable to make himself get up off his knee and fight again. Oliver tried pushing himself up using the table, but remained doubled over from the pain.

"You're not going out like this." Diggle said eye to eye with Oliver.

Diggle could still see it in Oliver's eyes that he was trying to devise a way to get around him.

Diggle laid a hand on Oliver's unhurt shoulder and punched him across the face.

Oliver completely collapsed to the floor, but began trying to get up again.

"Man, you're not going anywhere, so just give it up." Diggle sighed as he punched him across the face one last time to render him unconscious.

Diggle looked to Felicity, her eye's welled with tears.

"He will thank us later." Diggle said as he scooped Oliver's body up and laid it on their makeshift operational table.

Felicity wasted no time getting the Arrow's suit off of Oliver, revealing his should wound and his chest wound from Ra's. Both Felicity and Diggle exchanged a look a horror as she began to cut away the blood soaked bandages around his chest.

* * *

Oliver awoke several hours later, the pain in his chest continually throbbing as he tried to sit up.

"Easy man." Diggle said as he helped Oliver come to a sitting position.

"What happened with Brick?" Oliver asked, wincing through the pain.

"We are searching all of Felicity's databases trying to figure it out. You just need to get some rest before we do find him." Diggle said as Felicity handed Oliver a cup of water.

Oliver nodded, looking down into his cup then back up to Diggle, "Thanks Dig. I probably would have gotten myself killed." He smiled faintly.

"No sweat man, what else are friends for?" Diggle responded.

Oliver laughed lightly, the sound of Felicity's monitor beeping drawing his attention immediately.

"I got something." She said as she began typing away. "I know where he is."

Oliver exchanged a look with Diggle, and in one nod they already had agreeance.

"Let's go." Oliver said.

Diggle smiled, "What else are friends for?"


End file.
